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This week we review the Xiaomi Mi3. Xiaomi is a Chinese phone manufacturer, and the third largest mobile device manufacturer in the world behind Apple and Samsung. Xiaomi has been widely criticized for copying the Apple iOS user experience, and design aesthetic. While we liked the look and feel of the device, the video playbackRead more

Just in time for the holidays, we’ve reviewed one of the season’s hottest phones, the Motorola Droid Turbo. While we’re kind of major Apple geeks around here, we loved the Droid Turbo, and in terms of video playback this is the best Android device we’ve gotten our hands on. We attribute most of this toRead more

This week we are taking a closer look at Apple’s new flagship model, iPhone 6. Does the Apple magic hype machine live up to expectations when it comes to video playback? Apple’s implementation of http-live-streaming certainly has delivered, and their newest in a now long line of iPhone’s is no exception. The iPhone6 continues toRead more

This week we reviewed the Amazon FirePhone, the one and only flagship mobile device from Amazon. While there was a lot of hype around this phone, it quickly fizzled and Amazon has since dropped the phone price to a whopping $0.99. Not a great sign for the long term success of the device. Our videoRead more

This week we completed a deep dive on Samsung’s newest mobile device, the Samsung Galaxy S5. As Android has evolved, so has it’s support for video playback, and the Galaxy S5 is a shining example of that. In most situations, most importantly when playing HLS streams, the Galaxy S5 was consistent and seamless. In certainRead more

Another week, another in-depth look at a leading video capable device. This week we review Blackberry’s flagship model, the Blackberry Z30 running the latest OS, BB10. This is a solid device with some of the best support for http-live-streaming that we’ve tested thus far. However, the limited app eco-system and low adoption rates create aRead more

This week we are taking a close look at how the popular Samsung Galaxy S4 handles video play back. While video looks great on the Galaxy S4, we did find some inconsistencies with things like HTTP Live Streaming and Closed Captions. For all the details, watch the video below.

Welcome to the first installment in our new Encoding.com Labs series. Our aim is to get our hands on and review the latest and greatest video devices and take a closer look at how they handle video. How the device handles adaptive bitrate, various formats, encryption, closed captions, browser players, native player, and OVPs willRead more